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Napapijri Reveal Revolutionary Ze-Knit Collection

Despite, or rather, due to the fact that we consume an insane amount of clothes, sustainability is the key to our future. Napapijri shows us how with their Ze-Knit collection and Candid’s Thomas Falkenstedt looks into the process that was revealed during Design Week in Milan.

Ze-Knit is a digitally-knitted collection, constructed by a single yarn through a process similar to 3D printing, designed on the basis of ergonomic design principles which focus on body movement to improve comfort, functionality and support. Aside from producing products to enhance performance, Ze-Knit‘s production process reduces raw material waste by up to thirty per cent in comparison to traditional manufacturing techniques.

Napapijri’s Ze-Knit collection marks a huge step forward for Napapijri’s ‘Make it Better’ mindset and research into sustainable manufacturing alternatives which can unlock new design possibilities. Hopefully other brands will follow their lead.

Napapijri’s DNA is expressed in the brand’s research on sustainable manufacturing alternatives that could unlock new design possibilities. Ze-Knit is the latest example with nineteen garments for men and women, combining ergonomics, functionality, and beauty. Two colours feature: black and blue, with tone-on-tone graphics for a collection featuring jackets, trousers, sweatshirts, and jumpsuits.

Ze-Knit garments are digitally knitted, resulting in less fabric waste and limiting the number of seams necessary to construct the garment. Trousers, jackets, and sweatshirts host multiple functionalities that are literally weaved into the design.

Ergonomic points around the joints allow the items to move in tandem with the body, greatly improving comfort. In addition, boiled wool – a fantastic natural insulator, is layered in varying degrees of density for extra-warmth. Finally, strategically placed panels capture and neutralise odours.

For a long time, a part of Napapijri’s ‘Make it Better’ philosophy has been the need to conceive and produce high-performing garments with an ever-lower environmental impact. This is why Ze-Knit aims to be the experimental collection challenging the technical barrier of responsible manufacturing.

The Futurehood Atlas is a map/digital graph that will be available on zeknit.com. Generated by new algorithms representing a network of relationships, Futurehood Atlas will be constantly updated thanks to the interactions amongst its users. The first step to be part of Futurehood Atlas is filling in a form on zeknit.com.

Information will be processed by the software and displayed on branches and dots that will continue to expand and grow even after Milan Design Week. This is when future meets the present while taking in sustainability at its best.

Ze-Knit will be available in a selection of Napapijri and multi-brand stores all over Europe starting from September 2018. Visit zeknit.com for an updated list of retailers.